Soy maple glaze

For brussels sprouts or other veggies.

¼ cup pure maple syrup
1½ Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 Tbsp. heavy cream
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. sriracha

Cook ¼ cup pure maple syrup in a medium saucepan over medium heat until bubbling aggressively, about 3 minutes. Carefully whisk in 1½ Tbsp. unsalted butter, then add 1 Tbsp. heavy cream, 1 Tbsp. soy sauce, and 2 tsp. sriracha and cook, whisking constantly, until caramel sauce is bubbling and thick enough to coat a spoon, about 1 minute. Pour into a bowl and let cool slightly. Drizzle over roasted veggies.

Creamy dijon mustard dill sauce

Sauce for lamb or other items.

3/4 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp finely chopped dill

In a small non-stick skillet or saucepan over medium heat, add the cream, mustard and honey. Whisk gently to mix and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, add the dill, stir and transfer to a serving dish.

Kale sauce

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
4 cloves garlic, smashed flat and peeled
1 Tbsp anchovy paste
1 pound kale, thick ribs removed
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 – 3/4 cup coarsely grated Parmigiano- Reggiano

  1. Put a large pot of generously salted water over high heat, and bring to a boil. In a small skillet over medium heat, add olive oil and garlic, and cook until the garlic begins to sizzle. Reduce heat to low, and cook very gently until garlic is soft and begins to turn light gold, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
  2. When water is boiling, add kale leaves, and cook until tender, but not mushy, about 5 minutes. Pull out the hot, dripping kale leaves with tongs, and put directly into a blender. (Don’t drain the pot; you’ll use that same boiling water to cook the pasta.) Add garlic and its oil, cheese, anchovy paste to the blender. Add a splash of hot water from the pot if you need some more liquid to get the blender going. Blend into a fine, thick green purée. Taste, and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, then blend again.

Hummus

Base hummus

  • 1 15-oz. can cooked chickpeas, drained
  • 1/4 c. chickpea liquid -OR- 1/4 c. extra virgin oil olive -OR- 1/4 c. lemon juice -OR- any mix of these
  • Big pinch of salt and black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp. cumin
  • Pinch of cayenne pepper powder (optional)
  • 2 large cloves garlic (minced) or 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 2 heaping Tbsp tahini or 1 tsp sesame oil

Blend together in food processor until smooth.

Optional add-ins, blend with the hummus:

  • 1 roasted beet (375*F, 1 hour, wrapped in tin foil).
  • 2 whole roasted red bell peppers (halved, broil 5-10 minutes skin side up, put in bowl covered with tight lid for 10-15 mins, gently peel away charred skin).
  • Use roasted garlic or add 1-2 Tbsp. garlic powder.
  • 2 very ripe avocados.
  • 1 cup peeled and cubed pumpkin, sweet potato, or butternut squash (pressure cook in Instant Pot 3-4 min until very soft), add 1 tsp paprika to hummus.
  • Black bean – swap out chickpea for black bean can. Add 1/2 tsp. ground coriander.

Tahini Parsley Sauce

For roasted vegetables

  • 1/3 cup tahini
  • 1/3 cup lemon juice
  • 1/3 cup minced parsley
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • Healthy pinch of salt and pepper

Stir together until well mixed.

Burst Cherry Tomato Sauce

Serves 2

  • 1 lb cherry tomatoes
  • 1 anchovy fillet
  • 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 1/8 tsp sugar
  • 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1 Tbsp butter
  • 1/4 cup basil, thinly sliced

Heat oil, garlic, red pepper flakes and anchovies in large saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until anchovies break down and garlic is lightly browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, salt, sugar to saucepan and stir to combine. Cover and increase heat to medium-high. Cook, without stirring, for 7-9 minutes. Off heat, stir in butter.

Toss with pasta water and pasta to serve. Top with basil.

Pesto

  • ¼ cup pine nuts, walnuts, or almonds
  • 3 medium cloves garlic
  • 2 cups packed fresh basil leaves
  • 7 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Pound basil to release oils. Put all ingredients, except cheese, in food processor and process/scrape until uniform. Stir in cheese by hand. Salt to taste.

Store with a thin layer of oil on top, or with plastic wrap pressed against the surface.

Bolognese

  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 small onion, minced
  • 2 carrots, minced
  • 2 celery stalks, minced
  • 2 garlic gloves, minced
  • 1 1/4 pound mixed ground meat (80% lean beef, pork, veal, sausage)
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 2 Tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 1/2 cup whole milk
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/4 cup sweet white wine (or dry red wine)
  • (28 ounce) can tomatoes, chopped fine (“crushed” texture), with juice strained and reserved
  • 1 porcini boullion cube

Makes 3 cups for 1lb pasta

Don’t drain the pasta of its cooking water too meticulously when using this sauce; a little water left clinging to the noodles will help distribute the very thick sauce evenly into the noodles, as will adding an extra 2 tablespoons of butter along with the sauce. Top each serving with a little grated Parmesan and pass extra grated cheese at the table. If doubling this recipe, increase the simmering times for the milk and the wine to 30 minutes each, and the simmering time once the tomatoes are added to 4 hours.

  1. Add wine to non-reactive saucepan and simmer over low until reduced to 1/4 cup for sweet white wine or 1/2 cup for red wine.
  2. Use food processor to pulse vegetables into 1/8 inch pieces.
  3. Pulse strained tomatoes until chopped fine.
  4. Heat butter in large, heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium high heat; add onion, carrot, and celery and sautè until softened but not browned, about 6 minutes. Sautè garlic and sugar until fragrant.
  5. Add ground meats, breaking meat into 1-inch pieces with wooden spoon, about 1 minute.
  6. Add milk and stir to break meat into 1/2-inch bits; bring to simmer, reduce heat to medium, and continue to simmer, stirring to break up meat into small pieces, until most liquid has evaporated and meat begins to sizzle, 18 to 20 minutes.
  7. Stir in tomato paste and cook until combined, about 1 minute.
  8. Add tomatoes, porcini cube, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper; bring to simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium and simmer until liquid is reduced and sauce is thickened but still moist, 12 to 15 minutes.
  9. Stir in reduced wine and simmer to blend flavors, about 5 minutes.
  10. Adjust seasonings with extra salt to taste and serve. (Can be refrigerated in an airtight container for several days or frozen for several months. Warm over low heat before serving.)